Cigar-vending machine.



J. T. ROBINSON.

CIGAR VENDING MACHINE.`

APPLICATION FILED ocr. 23. I9Is.

METTE@ STATES PATENT FFIQE.

JESSE T. ROBINSON, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR TO CIGAR VENDEE. SALES COMPANY, OF PENSAGOLA, FLORIDA, A CORPORATION.

CIGAR-VENDING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 20, 1911"?.

To all whom t may concern: j

Be it known that I, Jnssn T. ROBINSON, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Montgomery, in the county` of Montgomery and State of Alabama, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Cigar-Vending Machines, of which the following is a specification..

My invention relates to a ooin controlled vending machine for cigars and like articles, and has for its object to simplify and perfect the mechanism which, in conjunction with a coin of the proper denomination, will control the delivery of cigars.

One distinctive feature of my invention relates to the latch mechanism for preventing the ejector being rocked into position to deliver the cigar until a coin of proper denomination forms an operating connection between a trip on the ejector and the latch mechanism to release the latter.

A further object of my invention is to design the latch mechanism to hold the coin in the chute after the ejector has been released for operation and until it has moved into position to deliver the cigar.

My invention further embraces the novel details of construction of the rocking ejector and of the coin chute interrupted for the passage therethrough of the coin engaging member on the ejector. These and other features comprising my present invention are hereinafter more particularly described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings which show only what I regard as the preferred embodiment of my invention; and in which Figure 1 presents an end elevation of my improved vending machine as adapted for the distribution of cigars and showing the compartment for the cigar box broken away and the operating mechanism in dotted lines.

Fig. 2 is a detail perspective view of a part of the coin chute and the latch mechanism as viewed from the inside looking outwardly.

Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view of Athe ejector.

Fig. 4 is a detail view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, and showing the mechanism for controlling the operation of the ejector.

Similar reference numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

Referring to the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawings, I show a cabinet comprising a top compartment 1 which is adapted to receive a boX of cigars and which is connected by extension hinges 2 at its lower end to a base 1a mounted on a semi-circular bottom compartment 3 which contains the distributing mechanism. A coin chute 4 extends from the top of compartment 1 lengthwise thereof to and joins a bottom chute section 4a which is mounted in the compartment 8 and at its lower end is bent angularly at 5 to discharge the coin into a locked till or drawer 6 which is movable through the end wall of compartment 3. The top compartment 1a is provided with an inclined bottom 7 which directs the cigars so that they will fall one at a time into a longitudinally arranged pocket 8 in the rocking ejector. This ejector is mounted to rock on trunnions 9 journaled in the end wall of the compartment 3 at or near the bottom thereof and it comprises segment shaped sides 10, preferably integral with the trunnions, and a curved top formed by a bent sheet of metal 11 in which the pocket 8 is formed or shaped and which has its end edges 12 bent inwardly at right angles and connected by screws 13 to lugs 14 on the ends 10. Between lugs 14 on the left hand end plate 10 its top edge is cut away to form a slideway and stop for the latch pin 15 which locks the ejector. This slideway comprises a main portion 16 eX- tending from the right hand lug 14 in Fig. 3 to a stop or shoulder 17, and continuing from this stop at a higher level to the other or left hand lug 14. Below the slideway and approximately in the center of the end plate, I arrange a coin guard and actuator comprising a curved top 18 and reversely inclined bottom wedge or taper faces 19 which give its under face a symmetrically tapered or pointed shape. The length of the guard surface is approximately equal to the width of the coin chute and the depth from this surface to the apex of its underface is sufficient to partly but not entirely force a coin 20 past a stop pin 21 which is normally caused, by means of spring 22, to

project through a notch 23 into the chute 4a and into the path of the coin to arrest it. The pin 21 is mounted on a bell crank lever 24 pivoted to a bearing plate 25 that is screwed or otherwise attached to the inner face of fthe left hand end wall of the compartment'3 and the coin chute la is also attached thereto. The spring 22 engages the bell crank lever and tends normally'to draw thevpin 21 into the slot 23 and to force the otherend of the level' downwardly and by means of a link 26 to alsodraw downwardly the pivoted arm 27 that carries the pin 15. The. spring thus acts to force the `pin 21 into the coin slot and to press the pin 15 against .the slideway 16 ,of the actuator. The. arm 27 is pivoted so as to swing on the inside of the coin chute and immediately below the position of this arm the side walls ofthe coin chute are cut away to leave a transverse passage-way across the same, the lower edge of which is so positioned relatively tothe slot 2.3 that the upper edge of a coin 20, when arrested by the pin 21,

will project to about the middle of the passageway and in position to be engaged by one or the other of the taper faces 19 on the coin guard and to be thereby depressed sufciently to force the pin 21 outwardly and through the lever connections to raise the pin 15 enoughto clear the stop or shoulder 17 of the slideway, thereby freeing the ejector to make a full movement to the right 1, and expose a cigar in position to be removed. The coin however is not forced down far enough to entirely pass the pin 21 and fall through the slot and it therefore remains in position until the pin 15 rides on the incline surface 28 atv the left hand end of the slideway, being thereby i raised and acting through the link 26 and lever 24 to entirely diseugage the pin 21 from the coin which lis thereupon free to fall through the chute into the till 6. Vhen the ejector is in position to deliver a cigar the rear end of the guard will project sufficiently into the coin chute to prevent a coin passing it and falling into the till, the curved upper face'18 of the guard when interposed in the coin chute acting to arrest and hold the coin until the ejector is rocked suiiiciently to cause the guard to clear the chute and permit the coin to drop under it.

The ejector has a handle 29 connected to theend of its right hand trunnion 9 and disposedI without the cabinet. rlhe lower compartment of the cabinet comprises a beveled glass cover 30 which extends from the delivery slot 31,. provided in its front wall to the base 1a of the cigar box compartment. Thev end walls of the compartment 3 are notched at 32 to correspond in 'shape with the cigar pocket 8. A hasp 33 is connected to the compartment 1 and adapted to engage a staple 34 on the-section la and be locked by a pad lock or other suitable means 35. The side notches 32 are disposed to aline with the pocket 8 of the ejector when the latter has moved to its discharge position, thus providing means for slipping the cigar endwise from the ejector and avoiding the diliculty of trying to pick or pull it out toward the front of the machine. These slots 32 are normally closed by theA end flanges 12 on the ejector.

In operation, assuming the ejector pocket 8 to be in the position shown in Fig. 1 and to have received a cigar or like article, the pin 15 will rest on the slideway 16 to the right of the stop 17 and will leave the ejector free for a full movement .to theV leftA but not to the right. If now a coin be dropped in the coin chute, it will engage and rest on the guard surface 18 until the ejector is thrown fully to the left against a stop 36 when the coin drops onto the pin 21. As the ejector is'drawn to the right the coin is forced downwardly by one of the taper faces 19 andthe pin 15 is thereby lifted to clear the shoulder 17, thus permitting the, ejector to swing fully to the right and bring its pocket 8 opposite the end notches 32 and the transverse slot 31 in the lower compart ment of the cabinet, whereupon the cigar can be readily removed. Ifthe ejector mem-A ber be in this position and another coin be dropped in the slot, it will be prevented by the guard from falling past it and will ride on its curved top face until the ejector` is swung back into position to pick upa cigar when the coin will drop onto pin 21. The guard is sodesignedthat it will not be blocked byv more than one coin, being introduced at the same time on'the chute, but will readily wedge its way between the coins, holding one up until the bottomrcoin has coperated in making an article delivery. Y

lVhat I claim as new and desire to secure Y by Letters Patent, is

1. In a vending machine, a coinchute, a movable arti/cle ejector, a latch mechanism comprising connected elements, one adapted to block the movement of the ejector to its delivering position and the other to block the discharge of a coin from said chute, a coin engaging trip movable with the ejector and` adapted to move the coin in the chute and trip the latch mechanism to unblock the ejector, spring means to hold the coin andits blockingelement in the position to Vwhich they are moved by said trip element, and means adapted to move the latch mechanism to unblock the coin only when the ejector has reached its position for delivering the article.

2.' In a vending machine, a movablevarticle ejector, a latch mechanism to block the movement of the ejector to 'its delivering position, means Ato interpose a coin in the latch mechanism, a coin engaging tripmovable with the ejector and adapted to moveA the coin and trip the` latch mechanism to unlock the ejector, a spring acting on thelatch mechanism to hold the coin in engagement therewith, and meansV on the ejector as it approaches its delivering position to again trip the latch mechanism against the action of said spring to release the coin.

3. In a vending machine, in combination, a coin chute having a notch, a reciprocable article ejector carrying a. cam adapted to enter the coin chute through said notch, latch mechanism for the ejector comprising an element which projects into the coin chute below the notch and in position to arrest a coin with its upper edge in the )ath of said cam, said coin when depressed y the cam being adapted to trip the latch mechanism suIicient-ly to release the ejector.

4. In a coin controlled vending machine, a coin chute having a transverse passage way across the same, an oscillatory article ejector carrying a cam adapted to traverse said passage way, a latch mechanism comprising an element adapted to arrest a coin in the path of the cam, and an element adapted to block the ejector, said cam through the coin, as an operating connection, being adapted to move the latch mechanism and release the ejector, and a trip on the ejector to move the latch mechanism to release the coin.

5. In a vending machine, a coin chute having side notches, a rocking ejector having a cam adapted to traverse the coin chute, a movable arm carrying a pin, a slideway on the ejector on which the pin normally rests, an intermediate stop shoulder in the slideway, and a trip mechanism adapted to be tripped by the cam acting on a coin to raise the latch pin out of the path of said shoulder and release the ejector to deliver an article.

6. In a coin controlled vending machine, a cabinet comprising an upper storage compartment for the articles to be vended, a lower compartment for the operating mechanism, an ejector pivoted in the lower compartment and having an article receiving pocket in its peripheral surface, a Stop shoulder, and a cam carried by said actuator, a stop normally interposed in the path of the shoulder, and mechanism for moving said stop out of the path of the shoulder comprising an element adapted to arrest a coin in the path of said cam and to be moved by the coin, when engaged and depressed by said cam, to move the stop and release the ejector.

7. A. coin controlled vending machine comprising a cabinet having a pivoted ejector member movable therein, an article pocket in the periphery of the ejector, a transverse slot and end notches in the cabinet adapted to register with the notch in said ejector when the latter is in its delivering position, a latch mechanism for blocking the movement of the ejector toward its delivering position, and means to interpose a' coin between the ejector andthe latch mechanism to trip the latter andrelease the ejector.

In a coin controlled vending machine, an oscillatory ejector comprising a quadrant shaped member havingan article pocket in its outer periphery and having a latch pin slideway at one end provided at an intermediate point with a stop shoulder and at the end farthest from its delivery point a cam, a double acting cam mounted on said end, stop mechanism for a coin and for an ejector, and means controlled by the movement of the ejector to first trip the latch to permit it to swing toward its discharge position and second to release the coin as the actuator arrives at its discharge position.

9. A coin controlled vending machine comprising a bottom cabinet for the coin controlled operating mechanism, an upper cabinet for the articles to be vended hinged to the bottom cabinet, a coin chute interrupted in its length and extending through both compartments, an article ejector, mechanism movable thereby to engage and depress a coin in the chute, an ejector latch mechanism adapted to be released by the coin and also adapted to arrest the coin in position to .be depressed by the actuator mechanism, and means controlled by the ejector to automatically release the coin.

l0. In a coin controlled vending machine, the combination with an ejector having a cam and stop at one end, of an adjacent coin chute, the chute being interrupted vto permit the ejector cam to traverse it, a springpressed member adapted to yieldingly arrest a coin in position to be engaged by the cam, a latch operably connected to said springpressed member and adapted to be moved thereby out of the path of the stop on the ejector, and a. cam on the ejector in its delivering position to raise the latch and release the coin, substantially as described.

11. In a coin controlled vending machine, an oscillatory segment shaped ejector having in its curved outer face an article receiving pocket and having movable therewith a stop shoulder and a coin engaging member, means to support a coin in position to be engaged and actuated by said member, a latch mechanism for releasing the actuator controlled by a coin and said coin engaging member on the ejector, and a cabinet in which the ejector makes a close moving lit and which has its front and end walls cut away to eXpose the pocket and leave its ends unclosed when the ejector is in delivering position.

l2. In a coin controlled vending machine, an article ejector adapted to have a to and fro movement from receiving to discharge positions, a latch mechanism to block the movement of the ejector to its discharge position, means to deliver a coin into engagement with a movable element of the latch mechanism, a coin engaging trip movable With the ejector and adapted through the is adapted to trip the latch mechanismV to reinstrumentality of the coin to move said eielease the coin.

ment and trip the atch mechanism to un- In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature. 10 block the e'ector, sai coin remainin inI osin tion to holii the latch mechanism ingilnbick- JESSE T ROBINSON ing position, and an element on the ejector Witness:

when it reaches its discharge position which E. E. MHC/HELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

i Washington, D. C. 

